Let's see if I can address your question. My first stop would be to wonder why there is a need to assign any blame other than to the OP of the thread itself? Somehow you've linked the mods and me when in my personal view, if there was any concern I likely would have simply sent a note to the OP (starter of the thread for those not familiar to some of the loose terms used here on FT). But I fully appreciate that different members use different ways to compile data for thoughts and opinions.

As I understand it, it's not like the Moderator went around trolling for any member to change the name of their thread topic. The member contacted a Moderator and asked them to change the name since it requires a Moderator to have access to that function. Should the volunteer have turned down the request? Is that the question here? Well, it's very likely that a quick review of the TOS -- which BTW, is what often a Moderator will use as a guideline -- there is no rule that says you can't include "drink and screw" as a title to a thread. Now, we'll move along to the concept of is it offensive. Seems offensive to some, but likely not to all. If you look at the thread stats, even under the microscope of the concerns here (and the idea that 18 posts were deleted for being off-topic), the thread doesn't appear to have that unusual a post count OR page views that would not accompany any other thread about a member Do. For instance, the current post to page view is 47.4. The Oz Fest #7 is 47.1; the SIN Do is 43.7; Boo doo six is 45.4; and Cow Do VI is 82.2. Others are in the mid- to late 30s such as the Texas Mega Do at 39.5. So again, even with inflated interest which affects page views and would drive this stat skyward, it just doesn't stand out that much.

Offensive?

Let's see. You do understand that the term "drink and screw" comes from the lyrics of a popular William Shatner sing called Common People, don't you? Yes, Mr. Star Trek himself used the term and it did not evoke a world wide protest and frankly too bad for him as it might have caused people to pay more attention to his artistic talents. And, if you were to Google the term "drink and screw" as a collective search term, well, it's out there no less than 261,000 times. Perhaps the Moderator was loosely familiar with these types of comparisons as to being offensive and it actually might have been that at least one of the Moderators handling the request was European in Nationality and there's certainly the fact that the term would easily have passed muster with many of the national newspapers of Britain if not been used on the front page. So it could be the cultural concept of was this term really that offensive.

As you can see, it's often more complicated than just trying to place some blame somewhere. But, I want it to be clear, it is very welcome that you voice your thoughts to me. As for my "approval." Let's not go there, that sort of "association" will only set me off and I'm likely to indict each and every one of you by the end of the day, especially those that often like to skirt the profanity filter. How often have many of you actually posted a part of this thread title in saying ... "screw you!" I can tell you that in appropriate forums, I've seen it no less than hundreds of times expressed to other members. So maybe the concept isn't all that far away.

While not involved in this particular issue, I'm actually not sure what I would have done if it had been requested of me. As you might know in this reply and past replies to members, I often do my homework and as well, have learned that FlyerTalk works when we don't get too caught up in traditional U.S. centric observations and actions. I like to step back and consider many different views.

Now, having said all this, let's move on to my role here and why it's actually a good idea that you used this forum to express your thoughts. The first thing I always do is to remove my personal preferences from looking at these types of issues. I also have to strip myself of centric and bias issues and focus solely on the best and community standards for which FlyerTalk was founded. As well, I have to balance and measure where this type of decision and exposure is within FlyerTalk. For instance, my greatest challenges are always within OMNI where off-topic is designed to be off-topic. As well, where the life and liberty of personal expression is often at a crossroads to common sense and certainly personal preferences. Allowing one to express an opinion controversial to Israel and at the same moment allowing something similar to our friends in the Muslim world is always heart wrenching for me because I can only moderate that by equal access to opinion, even when I personally have a bias -- often toward world peace. And the issues of gay rights which I personally support but respect that some percentages of the population do not and that gets muddled by cultural things across the world. Bottom line, you really don't want my job and I can only ask that you respect the thought process and fairness doctrine that I impose at each question and answer.

So let me digress and get to this one. As the founder of FlyerTalk, I have some not always explained DNA or moral compass if you will, that places what I think is best for FlyerTalk in issues like this. It starts with the idea that with latitudes at times in the appropriate forum, there still must be some sort of standard for FlyerTalk to still be able to point to and expect as behavior and posting from our general members. In the issues noted above, I frankly place no blame on any member or any Moderator for this current thread title. I can totally see the playfulness of the thread title change for a younger generation and playful is the key here. I can as well compare it to the existing use of the term and cultural acceptance of the term (a name for a modern pub?). But at the end of this day, I'm sorry but I just don't think it is a good direction for us to adopt. It sets too loose a standard for the next Do to have fun with. And I have no effort ever to stifle the fun of our members. I can't for the benefit of FlyerTalk really suggest that our efforts at organizing and encouraging members to meet and greet each other at these types of functions be dressed around just drinking and will leave the topic of screw at the level in which each member will absorb it.

So, I'll work with this member Do to adjust the name of the member Do to be something that all of us can be as proud of the effort to meet as we are proud of the effort to groups of our members to have their own identities and yet enjoy the moments that now and into the far distant future will serve us as members of FlyerTalk.

Hope you'll appreciate the method of how I have addressed it and you can even choose to disagree with where I am going with this. Thanks for your patience and really, thank you for your support of FlyerTalk.

Randy